U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai will be arriving in New Delhi Saturday for bilateral talks with Indian trade officials as the government there continues its controversial ban on rice exports.
The U.S. rice sector has been very critical of the Indian ban that’s designed to prevent food inflation in the country and Chief Agricultural Trade Negotiator Doug McKalip Doug McKalip told Agri-Pulse that the USTR is “closely monitoring and working with the Indian government” on the issue.
While the Indian ban on long grain rice – excluding basmati and parboiled – is expected to have a short-term effect of pushing up prices U.S. farmers can get on the international market, the USA Rice Federation says it expects India to eventually release the stored grain and cause prices to spiral downward.
Tai started her latest Asia trip over the weekend after arriving in Indonesia for a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Ministers that began Sunday. From there, she heads to Jaipur, India, for the G20 Trade & Investment Ministers’ Meeting on Thursday and Friday. Afterward, she heads to New Delhi to “meet with business leaders and hold bilateral meetings with government officials.”
With temperatures soaring, senator seeks federal heat standard
In a visit to Kern County, California, on Friday, Sen. Alex Padilla called for federal legislation to protect indoor and outdoor workers from heat, 10 days after a farmworker died in Fresno after working in extreme temperatures.
Padilla and two other Democrats introduced a bill last month that would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to establish an enforceable standard. OSHA has been working nearly two years on the issue but has yet to propose a rule. The agency is in the process of convening a panel to review the impacts of a standard on small businesses.
"Every day that we fail to act is another day that someone is risking their life in their effort to provide for their family," Padilla said in a visit to Delano, California.
United Farm Workers said high temperatures caused the death of the 59-year-old man, but the Fresno County Coroner said his death was due to cardiovascular disease caused by cholesterol buildup, CalMatters reported.
Two million impacted by discontinuation of SNAP pandemic assistance
More than 2 million more American households faced food insufficiency when temporary pandemic food assistance ended in March. New research published in the JAMA Health Forum from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found a 21% relative increase in both food insufficiency and food insecurity.
Aaron Richterman, an instructor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Penn and the study’s lead author, says, “This study shows the severe consequences of reducing SNAP benefit amounts at a time when inflation was causing rapid rises in food prices, and is especially important because of upcoming federal negotiations surrounding SNAP’s renewal in the farm bill at the end of September.”
US and Taiwan hold talks on ag, labor and environment
U.S. and Taiwan negotiators have wrapped up a new round of talks on agriculture, labor, and the environment as both sides push for new agreements under the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade.
“The conversations were productive, and officials will continue to hold discussions in the months ahead in order to reach consensus,” the USTR said in a statement released Sunday.
Taiwan, which imports beef, dairy, soybeans, fruit, tree nuts, vegetables and other products from the U.S., became the sixth largest foreign market for U.S. agriculture commodities in 2021 with about $3.9 billion in imports, according to USDA data.
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In 2022, Taiwan surpassed that figure by importing about $4.4 billion worth of beef, dairy, soybeans, fruit, tree nuts, vegetables and other products, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service estimated.
USDA announces next set of ReConnect investments
The Agriculture Department has announced it will be distributing $668 million for the fourth round of its ReConnect Program, which provides grants and loans for broadband projects nationwide.
The two largest grants — for $35 million and $34.9 million, respectively — will go towards projects in Alaska, though projects in 21 other states and the Marshall Islands will also receive some funding.
Read Agri-Pulse’s story on the announcement here.
Take note: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters on a press call last week that $260 million is still left over from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will be invested “over the next several months."
US Customs discovers rare pest at border
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists inspecting cargo from Mexico recently discovered a rare pest never before encountered in the U.S.
“This species has not been recorded in the USDA pest identification database, qualifying this discovery as a first across all ports in the nation,” Customs said after submitting a sample of the leaf-eating insect – rhabdotalebra signata – to USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. “The impressive find demonstrates CBP’s efforts to prevent invasive species from entering the United States.”
Rosa Hernandez, CBP director at the Otay Mesa, California, port, said, “It is truly a remarkable achievement discovering a first-of-its-kind pest in our nation. Our agriculture specialists’ role will continue to aid in safeguarding our environment and agriculture.”
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